Under The Wing, Into Freedom
by Achrones-D
Summary: Ever since the day he approached that government man, Gordon had bound himself to a life of servitude. But yet, ever since he had woken up, freedom was all around him. Slightly modified novelization of HL2.


**UNDER THE WING, INTO FREEDOM**

by Achrones150

Rated T

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Half-Life 2, or any of its characters. All credit goes to Valve and its helpers.

* * *

"_It's unstable! Shut it down, NOW!"_

"_I can't! The panel isn't responding, something's overloading it!"_

Who is that...? Where am I...? Why can't I see...?

"_GORDON! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"_

Why did those voices sound so loudly? Why did they seem so frightened, so scared?

"_Gordon, you have to get away from there! Get AWAY FROM--"_

Then, all I heard was a loud clap of lightning, followed shortly by the sounds of screaming, before my blind vision turned a brilliant white...

* * *

It was as if I had woken up from a nightmare. My eyes slowly opened, and I felt the crust in their corners. Although I couldn't see my own body, my own heart beat thumping in my chest was evidence that it was there.

All around me were lights, shining a dim white as they passed by. It almost made me smile, for out of the darkness that had now consumed the remains of Black Mesa, light was shining down, even if it was in a different form from what I had expected.

Then my eyes snapped completely open.

Those screams...that sound of lightning...it had been the initial start of the resonance cascade! It had been the day when everything had went to hell... the invasion of aliens, the slaughter of the Black Mesa scientists by HECU soldiers, and my own duel to the death with the Nihilanth. Then, that strange buisness-suited man had pulled me out just as I saw the light leave its body.

"Rise and shine, Mister Freeman, rise and... shine."

Immediately, I was snapped out of my thoughts, as his image appeared, staring me down with a calm gaze. His voice was mostly monotone, with only a hint of emotion.

"Not that I wish... to imply you have been sleeping, on... the job." He spoke, seemingly struggling with the pronunciation of his own words. The image of passing lights and darkness changed into that of where it had all started.

The Black Mesa test chamber.

"No one is more deserving of a ressst, and all the effort in the world would have gone to waste, until..."

He inhaled sharply, and his expression turned to a slightly confused one.

"Well... let's just say your hour has... come again..."

The test chamber faded from view, replaced by a foreign and unfamiliar structure. It seemed like a large factory, with pod-like structures mounted on massive walls, some of them sliding on hooks into deeper parts of the facility.

His image, however, did not dissapear. "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." As he continued to speak, the background faded just as quick as it had come, replaced by a stretched out train. It began to compress.

"So, wake up, Missster Freeman. Wake up and..." A smirk appeared on his face, as he himself began to fade away. "Smell the ashes..."

* * *

I felt my feet rest against the metal of the train, my dim senses restoring to their former nature. The clacking of wheels against track came steadily to my ears. My vision had cleared completely, allowing me to take a good luck at my surroundings.

The interior of the car had a light-bluish color, the seats a dark red, and articles of newspapers scattered on the metal floor. At the car door and sitting in one of the seats were two others, each carrying a briefcase. One of them, a dark-skinned male, was standing at the exit door. Strangely, each of them was wearing a blue outfit of a long-sleeved shirt and pants, seemingly out of place.

"_All right, Mr. White Collar, where have you taken me?" _

I approached the man who was standing at the doors. "Excuse me, sir?"

The man turned his head to look at me. "Didn't see you get on..." He muttered, extending his free hand to me. "Name's Sam."

I frowned slightly, taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm Gordon Freeman. Where exactly is this train headed?" I was trying to make my voice sound as polite as necessary.

He raised an eyebrow, as if I had asked a stupid question. "You don't have _any _idea what train you got on?" He asked, grinning slightly. "Right now, we're heading towards City 17. I'm surprised you didn't know about it, with all of its recent popularity."

I sighed, scratching the back of my head. "Sorry, I'm just a little bit slow today."

"You get used to it." He shrugged midly, then turned back towards the door.

My eyebrows furrowed in thought. There had seemed to be no more aliens around. The death of the Nihilanth clearly had a negative affect on their forces. Had the attack been surpressed and quelled? Had everything gone back to normal?

I was jarred out of my thoughts, as the train came to an abrupt stop. The doors opened, and I heard Sam sigh in resolution. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other light-skinned man get up, briefcase in hand.

"Well, end of the line." The dark-skinned male muttered, stepping off of the train, followed shortly by the other man. I stepped off as well, apprehension sinking into my gut.

It was right then I noticed that I was wearing the same clothing as they were. My eyes traveled downwards, seeing the collar of blue on my person. No HEV suit. It must've been taken away when I was asleep.

Well, it wasn't like I needed it now, did I?

I looked around. Apparently, I was in some sort of train harbor. Alongside the train I had just stepped off were several more, apparently already unboarded.

Then, a sudden flash came up to my eyes, and I instinctively shut them, raising a hand to my face. When I opened them again, a small machine, about the size of my head, was hovering over me, a red light slowly fading on it. Then, it turned and floated away, off to who-knew-where.

"Little bastard." I grumbled, walking to my left and past the train front. Those things would be a pain in the ass if I saw them too much.

A luggage cart was near the corner of the corner of a wall. I followed the two, as they dropped their luggage near it, nearing a revolving "door" through a fence.

"**First warning. Move away."**

"P-please, it's all I have left."

My attention turned towards two other people who were standing in front of the cart. One was another blue-clothed man. The other looked like a police officer, wearing an oxygen mask and holding what looked like a stun baton.

My eyes narrowed slightly when the officer reached out and rudely shoved the man into the pile of luggage, knocking several briefcases out.

"**Move it, **_**citizen**_**." **It ordered, the command in its voice evident.

"All right, I'm moving, jeez..."

The citizen finally gave in, backing off and heading through the revolving door.

My eyes turned towards the officer, as he walked in the direction opposite of the door. He was walking rather slightly with an air of arrogance, and I swore I heard a chuckle behind that mask.

What a great time to _not _have the crowbar.

I averted my gaze as he turned and walked off in the opposite direction. If he was indeed police, I _had _to avoid looking suspicious. It was a bit hard, though, considering the fact that I may have teleported out of nowhere...

"Were you the only ones on that train?"

A feminine voice brought me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I turned my head in an instinctive motion to look at another citizen, this time a female. Her hair was tied in a bun, revealing a face expressing anticipation and worry. I pushed gently through the revolvers and walked up to her.

"I think so, miss." I replied, motioning with my hand towards the freshly abandoned train. "Were you waiting for someone? They could be on another train."

The positive anticipation seemed to fade from her eyes, and I instantly regretted what I said. She spoke, he voice laced with a more sullen tone.

"Overwatch stopped our train in the woods and...took my husband for questioning..." She said. "They said he'd be on the next train... I'm not sure when that was..." She looked back up at me. "They're...nice, though...letting me wait for him..."

I thought she might have started breaking down after that. Her voice had started to crack, and an unsure vibe came from her person. But she simply turned back to face the direction of the harbor.

I sighed. "Good luck with that, miss." I muttered, turning and walking away, adjusting my glasses.

She probably didn't even hear me.

I soon found myself in what looked like a minature school lunchroom. In the center were several large metal cabinets. The walls were a mix of light and dark brown, and there were white picnic tables lined up against them. However, only one citizen was at each table, except the one nearest to me.

What was this, a _seating arrangement_? Assorted by this so-called _Overwatch_?

A citizen walked up to the empty picnic table, knocked over what looked like an empty French Fry container, and sat down, clearly in a depressed state. I walked slowly, attempting to pass him, but I felt a sharp tug on my arm as I did so. I craned my head to look at his face, surprised.

"Don't drink the water." He whispered. "They put something in it, to make you forget. I don't even remember how I got here." He then turned back around, laying his arms and head on the table.

I resisted to urge to stare in disbelief, instead walking off to turn a corner of the wall. Surprisingly enough, I came across another fence, but this time in the shape of a snake-like corridor. Beside the fence entrance was a pay phone, which I had noticed out of the corner of my eye. A spark of hope brightened.

Maybe I could call Bla--

The spark died immediately, and I almost slapped my self.

What, Gordon? Call a set-for-demolition Black Mesa? Maybe a dead scientist-turned-zombie could pick up and tell me where I was! What a _great _idea!

I scoffed to myself, folding my arms across my chest and leaning against the brown wall near the fence mesh. My mood changed to a more thoughtful look.

How many, besides me, had survived that horrifying ordeal? How many had actually succeeded in making it through the infestation of headcrabs, the invasion of Xen forces, or even the resulting explosion itself, to the surface? I had heard or seen _nothing _from Barney, Eli, or even Kleiner, the only three I was sure of who had survived. My heart sagged ever so slightly.

Just great. None of my former colleagues are here, and I have _no _idea of where I am. How could this get any worse?

"_Welcome to City 17. It's safer here."_

An overhead voice sounded loud around me, and I immediately looked up to see a large monitor over the fence. A familiar face, with moderately short white hair and a beard to match, appeared on the screen. My heart almost jumped at who it was.

Dr. Breen.

Unlike the depressed faces of the citizens around me, his expression was calm, but optimistic. His voice held a reassuring tone, as if sensing the distress of the people around me.

"_You have chose, or been chosen..."_

I couldn't really make out what he was saying, for now my attention was drawn to two other citizens.

"Dr. Breen, again?" The black-skinned male, who I had assumed was Sam, commented in an irritated voice. "I was hopin' I'd see the last of _him _in City 14."

"I wouldn't say that too loud." The other citizen whispered, leaning over towards his friend. "This is his base of operations."

This was going to take a _long _while to get used to.

I stepped past the two and walked through the snake-fence hallway, arms folded across my chest, and my head lowered slightly. Base of operations? City 14?

"All right, Gordon." I muttered to myself. "Take time to think about this. Once I get a good feel of my surroundings, I'll get what's going--"

"**You! Citizen! Come with me!"**

A voice barked in a slightly different, but still metallic voice. My head snapped up to look beyong the fence to see a scattered group of police, along with a citizen that was facing a police officer in a doorway of a building.

I heard the man protest. "W-wait a minute..."

"**Get in here!" **The officer's voice was harsh and commanding

"Where are you taking me?"

"**Go on!"**

"Me?!"

"**I said MOVE!"**

The officer's last statement was in the form of a snarl, and I saw the man finally give in, stepping inside the building. I froze in my tracks, feeling dread coming into me again.

Where the snake hall ended, another citizen was waiting. She walked through, walking straight through the police blockade into another part of the building. Only one officer had spoken to her, and he had simply motioned with a wave of his baton, giving the go-ahead.

I was surprised. No passport, no ID, and they allowed her to pass through? If that was the case I should be perfectly fine.

I breathed a sigh of relief, as I walked down the hallway. The sound of my footsteps were a dim echo, and I slowly but surely reached the spot where the woman had once stood.

Imeediately, an officer motioned with his baton to my left, in the direction of where the man had entered. **"Move along." **He ordered. Not wanting to look out of place, I complied.

As I approached the dreaded door, I saw a sign posted on the fence. With slightly squinted eyes, I could see the words _Nova Prospekt_. Beyond that fence was another train harbored in another station.

It couldn't be any worse off than where I was... right?

I stepped towards the sign.

_ENNNT!_

The fence door swung closed, and I suddenly found myself shielding my eyes from several camera flashes from above. My heart quickened, as I lowered my arm to find myself fenced in.

Oh, jeez, if only I still had my crowbar...

_That _door opened, and the officer who had brought the first citizen in stepped forth. He pointed at me, motioning behind him. **"You! Citizen! Come with me!"**

What else there was to do? I followed.

He led me on a pretty short walk down a brown hallway, stepping past a locked door. I noticed that there was a square peephole that was open, and I stopped to look inside.

It was a small room, with only one very imitating barber chair. A citizen was sitting in it, and an officer looming over him.

"This must be a mistake!" The man protested. "I have a standard relocation coupon, just like everybody else!" His voice sounded annoyed and scared.

At that point, I saw the officer inside turn his attention to the peephole, and his masked eyes turned to mind. For a moment, I could see a hint of a look of satisfaction, before he walked over and shut the peephole, barring me from further view.

I didn't want to think what was going after that. I instead turned and followed the first officer, as he banged on the door next to him. Its own peephole opened to reveal another masked figure for a moment, before it closed again, the door opening swiftly.

"**Get in!"**

I didn't need to be told twice.

As I did so, the second officer turned to the first. **"Need any help with this one?"**

"**No, I'm good."**

With a nod, the second officer left the room, leaving me to my imagination.

"**Back up!" **The officer hissed, walking over to the nearby control panel and turning towards it, typing in a few keycodes. The two aerial cameras, with a silent beep, retreated into the wall, preventing any surveillance.

I held my breath, as he turned towards me, putting his hands on his hips.

"**Now..."**

Oh God, let this be quick...


End file.
